University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
14-2, 6-0ACC
Miami
7-11, 1-5ACC
Tar Heels Sweep Away Hurricanes, 3-0
October 9, 2016 | Volleyball
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| Postgame Infographic |
CHAPEL HILL – No. 9 North Carolina continued its winning ways on Sunday afternoon, rolling to a 3-0 sweep of Miami (25-20, 25-10, 25-18) to complete a perfect home weekend of ACC play. The Tar Heels out-hit the Hurricanes, .342 to .055 to improve to 14-2 (6-0 ACC), while Miami fell to 7-11 (1-5 ACC).
“I thought we played well in the first two sets and played in such a dominant fashion,” said head coach Joe Sagula. “I think we really stayed with our game plan, and we got better as the match went on. I also like the overall emotion our team expressed throughout the match today. Real excitement, appreciation for all the good plays from each teammate, and I think that's something that will help us a lot.”
Freshman Julia Scoles led the Tar Heels' attack with 12 kills, unleashing eight in the third set alone. The rookie outside hitter did not make an error in the match, hitting .480 with three service aces, six digs and two solo blocks.
“She's a very smart player, even for being so young,” said sophomore Casey Jacobs. “It's really cool, because you see her making smart plays when the set's off, or just really going after it. A lot of times, players might go softer or give a free ball, but she goes after it all the time. It's just raw athleticism.”
Hayley McCorkle was the driving force for Carolina's offense early in the match, going a perfect 7-for-7 on swings with three blocks over the first two sets. Freshman Taylor Borup replaced Taylor Leath for the second half of the match and totaled three kills and three blocks without making an error. Jacobs played the back row of her rotation, providing strong defense for the Tar Heels over the final two sets.
“I thought Casey did a great job,” said Sagula. “She made the most out of an opportunity today, putting her in there and stabilizing. She had some really good plays in the back row in the third set, she hustled, and she passed really, really well for us.
“Then Taylor Borup comes to play in the front row, three kills, three blocks, no errors—it was awesome. We need to continue to develop our depth, and today was a good day for us.”
“Casey did amazing,” added Scoles. “Her energy on the court is contagious and she goes out for every ball, so that makes everyone else better.”
The Tar Heels used tough serving to keep Miami off balance, serving up six aces as the Hurricanes sided out at just 41 percent. Scoles led the match with three of those aces, while classmate Greer Moseman landed an ace in her first career appearance for the Tar Heels.
“Oh my gosh, she served really well,” said Jacobs of her fellow defensive specialist. “She has a really good serve, so she went out there and dug some hits and made some serves. She really did her job and it was really cool to see. We love Greer – her big debut.”
“Greer had an awesome day,” said Sagula. “She was fantastic. She came in and served tough, gave us a run in that third set when we needed it, and had a great dig in the first set. She really gave us a great contribution today.”
The Tar Heel blocking unit was in full form on Sunday, as Carolina stuffed 14.5 big ones in just three sets. Sydnye Fields led the match with six blocks, including one solo, while Taylor Fricano and Taylor Treacy each knocked down five.
From the back row, libero Sheila Doyle led the match with 13 digs, while setter Abigail Curry posted eight and Scoles added six. Curry and Mariah Evans each had 12 assists in the match, while Curry added an ace and Evans tallied five digs.
Fricano used a service ace to jumpstart a 5-0 run early in the first set and push the Tar Heels ahead, 8-4. Carolina never again trailed, hitting .444 with four blocks and no attack errors to take the first set, 25-20. Seven different Tar Heels had a kill in the first set, let by a perfect 4-for-4 attack for McCorkle.
A fantastic early serving run for Scoles quickly spotted Carolina an 8-1 lead to open the second, and the Tar Heels continued to cruise, winning the frame, 25-10. The Heels used 6.5 blocks in the frame to hold the Hurricanes to a -.071 clip, led once again by perfect hitting (3-for-3) by McCorkle.
Miami had the momentum early in the third set, racing to a 9-4 lead on a block by Sakile Simmons and Anna Haak. An attack error by Fricano made it 11-7 Miami, causing Sagula to call timeout. The Tar Heels raced back from the break a new team, winning six straight including three kills by Scoles to overtake the lead, 13-11. A service error at 17-14 sent Moseman behind the service line, as the rookie served up six straight points, including her first career ace, to make it 22-15 and set up the Tar Heel victory. A kill by Borup made it match point and Scoles crushed her eighth kill of the fame to win the third set, 25-18, and complete the Heels' second sweep of the weekend.
“To win two matches at home 3-0 was huge,” said Sagula. “We've gone a lot further in matches than we thought we should have in others, but to get two 3-0 wins is exciting.”
“It feels really good,” said Jacobs. “We've really been working on consistency. We've had a lot of ups and downs, but we've been trying to stay even, trying to find our identity, and trying to stay really solid in that. I'm stoked. I think there's a lot of good things ahead for this team.”
The Tar Heels return to the road next weekend for a battle for first place in the ACC standings at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish (15-3, 6-0 ACC) are the only other team to maintain a perfect conference record, but have yet to defeat a ranked team (0-2) this season. The match will begin at 7 p.m. in South Bend, Indiana, and will air live on ACC Network Extra.
